Tool and shell using induction heating

ABSTRACT

A component forming tool for forming a component from a blank includes a die forming shell having a first shell portion disposed at a first set of support elements and a second shell portion disposed at a second set of support elements. A first fluid line has a plurality of first fluid discharge ports at or near the first shell portion. A second fluid line has a plurality of second fluid discharge ports at or near respective ones of the first fluid discharge ports that are located in between the support elements. The component forming tool provides pressurized fluid in the first and second fluid lines and the pressurized fluids are discharged from the respective first and second fluid discharge ports. The fluid discharged from the second fluid line mixes with the fluid discharged from the first fluid line to cool the first shell portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims the filing benefit of U.S. provisionalapplication, Ser. No. 61/650,672, filed May 23, 2012, which is herebyincorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a method and system forforming a component via at least partially direct inductive heating ofthe blank during the forming process and/or at least partially heating adie forming shell wherein the heated shell at least partiallyconductively heats the material to be processed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

It is known to form materials into structural components havingdifferent diameters and shapes via induction heating of a blank duringthe forming process, such as during the stamping or inflating process toform the structural component. The induction heating process generatesheat within the material by inducing a current in the material, wherebythe material's resistance to the electrical current generates heat asthe current is passed therethrough. Examples of such induction heatingprocesses are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,269,986; 7,024,897;7,003,996; 6,613,164; and 6,322,645, which are hereby incorporatedherein by reference in their entireties.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a method and system for inductivelyheating the material during the forming process, such as by utilizingaspects of the systems described in U.S. patent applications, Ser. No.12/124,354, filed May 21, 2008; Ser. No. 12/124,347, filed May 21, 2008(Attorney Docket HOT01 P-100A); and/or Ser. No. 13/111,399, filed May19, 2011 (Attorney Docket TEM01 P-101 A), which are all herebyincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the system or methodprovides for selective cooling or quenching of the component that isbeing formed via the heated tool and shell which may have been at leastpartially heated via induction heating and/or at least partially heatedvia conductive heating from the part being formed. The cooling orquenching of the component is provided via a pressurized gas (which mayalso be any gas such as air or an inert gas like nitrogen or argon) lineand/or a pressurized liquid or water line or combination thereofdisposed in the tool. The gas line has a plurality of small portsdisposed along the surface of the die forming shell of the tool and theliquid line has a plurality of small ports disposed along the surface ofthe die forming shell of the tool. The ports of the liquid line are ator near respective ports of the gas line, such that liquid that isdischarged or sprayed from a liquid line port intersects or mixes withgas that is discharged or sprayed from a corresponding or respective gasline port. The gas, after it is discharged from the ports, is preferablysupersonic, such that the liquid or water that intersects the supersonicgas flow is vaporized or atomized, whereby the gas and liquid vapormixture that results is very cool and quickly cools or quenches thecomponent. When the cooling/quenching process is completed (so that thecomponent and/or the die forming shell is generally at its targetedtemperature), a vacuum may be applied to the liquid lines to draw theliquid out of the lines so that water will not drip from the ports ontothe component after the gas pressure and liquid pressure aredeactivated.

The liquid lines and/or gas lines are disposed along the tool and may beat least partially disposed between plates or ribs that support the dieforming shell (such as an upper set of plates or ribs attached to anupper shell and a lower set of plates or ribs attached to a lowershell).

In addition, the liquid or gas lines, either as dual lines orindividually, may be used in a controlled fashion, where at thebeginning of a controlled cool down, the gas and liquid lines may beactivated for a short period of time, then turned off, and then the partthat is being processed may have its temperature re-elevated to a newhigher temperature (such as via induction heating of the part and or dieforming shell or resistance heating). A gas line then may be activatedfor a short period of time to assist in controlling the temperature, andthen a full liquid quench may be activated to quench or cool thetemperature of the part being formed as quickly as possible.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the tool comprisesan interchangeable die forming shell, with the upper and/or lower shellportions being removably attached or detachably attached at or to theupper and/or lower set of ribs or plates. The shell portion may havepartial or truncated ribs or plates formed or established thereat, andthe partial ribs or plates may generally align with and engage or attachat the respective upper or lower set of ribs or plates of the tool.Thus, the shell portions may be removed and replaced if worn and/or maybe removed and replaced to adapt the tool for making a differentcomponent.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the ribs or platesmay be formed or constructed or established at the tool and/orrespective shell portions via an additive manufacturing process, such asvia a laser deposition process or a spray welding process or the like.The respective shell portions support structure could then undergomachining operations to bring them to their final shape. Additionally,the die forming shell could be machined and ribs or plates (or sheets ofmaterial), could be fabricated and brazed in stacked layers in an end toend fashion to the die forming shell. Optionally, the ribs or plates maycomprise two or more or layers comprising different materials that arelaser deposited, spray welded, welded or brazed in layers at the tooland/or shell portion. The different materials may comprise differentmaterial types and may have different properties, such as differentmagnetic properties and/or different curie temperatures and/or differentstrengths and/or the like. The different materials are integrally orunitarily formed or established together at the shell portion, and thusmay be formed or established via a common forming process.

These and other objects, advantages, purposes and features of thepresent invention will become apparent upon review of the followingspecification and drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of upper and lower forming tool insertassemblies for forming a part in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the lower forming tool insert of FIG. 1,shown with an attaching mechanism for attaching the upper portion of thelower forming tool insert assembly to the lower forming tool insertsupport assembly, via a post hold down mechanism with side supports;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the lower forming tool insertof FIG. 2, showing the upper portion of the lower forming tool insertassembly, lower forming tool insert half and supports, the attachingmechanism, the locating mechanism, the inductive heating coils and thecooling tubes;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another lower forming tool insertassembly of the present invention, shown with an attaching mechanism forattaching the upper portion of the lower forming tool insert assembly tothe lower forming tool insert support assembly, via a bolted tabmechanism;

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the lower forming tool insertof FIG. 4, showing the upper portion of the lower forming tool insertassembly, lower forming tool insert half and supports, the attachingmechanism, the locating mechanism, the inductive heating coils and thecooling tubes;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of another lower forming tool insertassembly of the present invention, shown with a different attachingmechanism for attaching the upper portion of the lower forming toolinsert assembly to the lower forming tool insert assembly, via a posthold down mechanism;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the lower forming tool insertof FIG. 6, showing the upper portion of the lower forming tool insertassembly, lower forming tool insert half and supports, the attachingmechanism, the locating mechanism, the inductive heating coils and thecooling tubes;

FIG. 7A is an enlarged perspective view of the portion A of the lowerforming tool insert of FIG. 7;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another lower forming tool insertassembly of the present invention, shown with a different attachingmechanism for attaching the upper portion of the lower forming toolinsert assembly to the lower forming tool insert assembly, via a doublepost hold down mechanism to extended tab from the die forming shellsupport mechanism;

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view of the lower forming tool insertof FIG. 8, showing the upper portion of the lower forming tool insertassembly, lower forming tool insert half and supports, the attachingmechanism, the locating mechanism, the inductive heating coils and thecooling tubes;

FIG. 9A is an enlarged perspective view of the portion A of the lowerforming tool insert of FIG. 9;

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a forming tool and die forming shell toolinsert assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 11 is a side view section of the forming tool and die forming shelltool insert taken along the line A-A in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of the sectioned forming tool and dieforming shell tool insert of FIG. 11;

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of the upper portion of the lower formingtool insert assembly, showing the die forming shell, and a stack up ofmulti-material bonded support assembly;

FIG. 13A is an enlarged sectional view of the upper portion of the lowerforming tool insert assembly taken along the line B-B in FIG. 10,showing a cutaway through a die forming shell support member;

FIG. 14 is a side view of an upper portion of a lower forming toolinsert assembly of the present invention, wherein the support mechanismshave been shaped into a S-shaped pattern to allow for independentsupport mechanisms that do not require spacers to achieve the requiredlateral support and allows for greater flexibility in attaching theupper portion of the lower portion;

FIG. 15 is a bottom view of FIG. 14, showing the support mechanismS-shaped pattern;

FIG. 16 is a bottom view through a straight lower portion supportassembly and partially showing the view form FIG. 15, wherein this isdone so the support mechanisms can float relative to the upper portionof the lower tool insert assembly and allow for thermal expansion of thejoined system and allow for interchangeable forming tool insertassemblies;

FIG. 17 is a perspective and partial sectional view of the upper portionof a lower forming tool insert assembly with the S-shaped independentsupport mechanisms in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 18 is an exploded perspective view showing both the upper portionof the lower forming tool insert assembly with the S-shaped independentsupport mechanisms with a corresponding lower portion of a lower formingtool insert assembly with the S-shaped independent support mechanisms;

FIG. 19 is a side view of an upper portion of a lower forming toolinsert assembly, with an interlocking S-shaped independent supportpattern, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 20 is a bottom view of the assembly of FIG. 19, showing aninterlocking S-shaped independent support pattern which adds to thestrength of the lower forming tool insert assembly upper portion by thepatterns interlocking shape and in addition are not magneticallyconnected by design;

FIG. 21 is an enlarged perspective view of the interlocking supportpattern from the region A of FIG. 20;

FIG. 22 is the side view of an upper portion of a lower forming toolinsert assembly, with an interlocking angled and V shaped independentsupport pattern, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 23 is a bottom view of the assembly of FIG. 22, showing theinterlocking angled and V-shaped independent support pattern which addsto the strength of the lower forming tool insert assembly upper portionby the patterns interlocking shape and in addition are not magneticallyconnected by design;

FIG. 24 is an enlarged perspective view of the interlocking supportpattern from the region A of FIG. 23;

FIG. 25 is a view of a combined induction heating coil and tube assemblyto carry a liquid or gas cooling fluid, in the process of dischargingsaid fluid, that have been bonded together, in accordance with thepresent invention, wherein the assembly serves the dual purpose ofinduction heating and fluid quenching;

FIG. 26 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 25, with the addition of thedie forming shell that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 27 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 26, with the addition of theblank or formed part that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 28 is a view of a combined induction heating coil and two tubes inan assembly to carry a liquid and a gas in their respective tubes, inthe process of discharging the fluids to create a liquid and gasmixture, that have been braised or welded together, in accordance withthe present invention, wherein the bottom cavity is configured to carrycooling water for cooling or removing heat caused by the inductionheating process and wherein the top cavity is configured to carry thefluid for cooling or quenching the die forming shell;

FIG. 29 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 28, with the addition of thedie forming shell that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 30 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 29, with the addition of theblank or formed part that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 31 is a view of another design of an extruded tube with twocavities, to serve a dual purpose of induction heating and fluidquenching in accordance with the present invention, wherein the bottomcavity is configured to carry cooling water for cooling or removing heatcaused by the induction heating process and the top cavity is configuredto carry the fluid for cooling or quenching the die forming shell;

FIG. 32 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 31, with the addition ofmultiple holes to disperse the fluid in a different pattern;

FIG. 33 is a view of another design of an extruded tube with multiplecavities, to serve a dual purpose of induction heating and mixed fluidquenching, in accordance with the present invention, wherein the bottomcavity is configured to carry cooling water for cooling or removing heatcaused by the induction heating process and the top two cavity in thiscase is to carry two different fluids to be mixed for cooling orquenching the die forming shell;

FIG. 34 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 33, showing where the enlargedor close-up section A for FIG. 35 is taken from;

FIG. 35 is a close up view of the region or section A of FIG. 34,showing the angled surfaces and mixing location and showing the mixingintersection of the two fluids;

FIG. 36 is a view of a tube to carry a liquid or gas cooling fluid, inthe process of discharging said fluid, in accordance with the presentinvention;

FIG. 37 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 36, with the addition of thedie forming shell that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 38 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 37, with the addition of theblank or formed part that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 39 is a view of two tubes in an assembly to carry a liquid and agas in their respective tubes, in the process of discharging said fluidsto create a liquid and gas mixture, that have been braised or weldedtogether, in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 40 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 39, with the addition of thedie forming shell that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 41 is a view of the assembly of FIG. 40, with the addition of theblank or formed part that is to be temperature controlled;

FIG. 42 is a cutaway view of a lower portion of the die arrangementshown in FIG. 1, and an inductive heating coil and tube to carry coolingfluid and discharge a cooling fluid in an arrangement similar to what isshown in FIG. 26;

FIG. 43 is a cutaway view of a lower portion of the die arrangementshown in FIG. 1, and an inductive heating coil and multi tube assemblyto carry and discharge a cooling fluid mixture in an arrangement similarto what is shown in FIG. 29;

FIG. 44 is a cutaway view of a lower portion of the die arrangementshown in FIG. 1, and a tube to carry cooling fluid and discharge acooling fluid in an arrangement similar to what is shown in FIG. 37;

FIG. 45 is a cutaway view of a lower portion of the die arrangementshown in FIG. 1, and an inductive heating coil and multi tube assemblyto carry and discharge a cooling fluid mixture in an arrangement similarto what is shown in FIG. 40;

FIG. 46 is a perspective view of a coil arrangement of the presentinvention that runs parallel to the vertical supports with spacers andlocating keys;

FIG. 47 is a top view of a support assembly with spacers and inductiveheating coil positioned wherein the vertical supports run parallel tothe inductive heating coil, similar to the arrangement of FIG. 46;

FIG. 48 is a side view of the assembly of FIG. 47, showing the upper andlower inductive heating coils and lower supports;

FIG. 49 is a perspective view of the assembly of FIGS. 47 and 48; and

FIG. 50 is a side view of the assembly of FIG. 48, showing the supportsfrom an edge view, in order to clearly show the spacers used to spacethe supports.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to the drawings and the illustrative embodiments depictedtherein, a method and system for forming a component via molding orforming a heated blank in a mold insert assembly is shown in FIG. 1. Theheated blank may have been preheated prior to being placed in a die tobe molded or formed and may have been at least partially heated in thedie via at least partially inductively heating the blank, and may atleast partially be heated via conductive heating from a die formingshell or molding surface that may have been at least partiallyinductively heated and/or resistively heated, and in addition the formedor molded blank may have been cooled in a controlled process involving agas cooling, a liquid cooling or a combination of both through a mixingprocess, as discussed below. The molding or forming insert assembly ofthe present invention comprises an upper die half assembly 01 and alower die half assembly 02, In addition, the mold insert assembly maycomprise support mechanisms for each half that separate along partinglines 08 to enable access to the inside of the die inserts, and toprovide the ability for quick die changeover and the ability to changepart geometries by just replacing the upper portion of the dieassemblies without replacing the entire die insert assembly.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower die half assembly of the mold insertassembly comprises a die forming shell 03 which is used to mold or forma blank 34 that may be preheated and is placed into the die cavity. Theblank may be additionally heated or temperature maintained by inductiveheating coils 07 that may directly heat the blank 34 or indirectly heatthe blank by conductive heat transference from a partially heated dieforming shell that may be heated by the inductive heating.

In addition, the die forming shell may be heated by electricalresistance heating via imbedding electrical resistance heating materialsand/or elements into the support mechanism, or electrical resistanceheating elements may be added as separate heating elements that are notpart of or incorporated in the support structure. The electrical heatingmaterials or elements are preferably part of the support structure, suchas can be seen in the close-up view of FIG. 13, showing a multi-materialsupport mechanism wherein the type of material that is chosen for thesupport mechanism may comprise a material 19 with preferred resistanceheating properties. An electrical current may be induced or directlycoupled into this separate material that makes up item 19, and thatcurrent may conductively heat the die forming shell 03. After themolding or forming process has been completed, the molded or formedblank may be cooled via a cooling medium that is designed to supply thecooling medium between the support mechanisms 04 of the die formingshell. The cooling medium system may comprise an integrated inductionheating coil and multi-fluid delivery and mixing system 07, such asshown in FIG. 30, or it may comprise a very simple single tube deliverysystem such as shown in FIG. 36.

Although not all of the features are required for every molding orforming task, highlights of those individual features include thefollowing. The die forming shell 03 is supported by an upper supportmechanism 04 as shown in FIG. 3. The support mechanism may comprise anysuitable support, such as simple plates that are contoured to the dieforming shell 03 and bonded via welding, brazing or the like. Theseplates may be made from multi-materials that have been bonded togetherand machined, or the plates may be fabricated by the use of additivemanufacturing techniques, such as laser deposition, plasma spray,chemical bonding and/or sintering or the like, such as can be seen inthe reference example of FIG. 13, where items 19, 20 and 21 aredifferent materials or material alloys. These different material alloysof items 19, 20 and 21 may be selected based on their ability tothermally transfer heat energy, their electrical heating properties,their inductive heating properties, their strength properties and/ortheir lack of thermal heat transference characteristics.

To assist in the description of the different types of methods thatsupport assemblies can be configured, 01 is used to reference the upperdie assemblies and 02 is used to reference the lower die assemblies,which are used for forming or molding of blanks such as shown in FIG. 1.The lower die assembly 02 comprises an upper die assembly 100 thatcomprises at least a die forming shell 03 and a support mechanism 04.The lower die assembly 02 comprises a lower die support mechanism 101that also comprises at least a support mechanism or base support 06 anda locating mechanism 09 to locate the upper die assembly 100 to thelower die support mechanism 101. The upper die assembly supportmechanism 04, and the lower die support mechanism can also incorporatedesign features that add rigidity to the structure and that may limit oreliminate the need for spacers between the supports 64 as shown in FIG.47 and FIG. 50.

As shown in FIG. 3, the lower support elements or mechanism 04 at thelower die forming shell or shell portion may be keyed to and/ordetachably attached at the lower or base die support elements ormechanism 101, whereby, when the support elements are joined orconnected or engaged, the shell portion may be secured at the basesupport, such as via one or more brackets 05, 10, 14, 16 or the like (asshown in FIGS. 3, 5 and 7, the brackets may be configured to extend overa portion of the die assembly to retain the shell portion relative tothe base or, and such as shown in FIG. 9, the bracket 16 may beconfigured to receive a protrusion 17 of the upper support elements whenthe shell portion is disposed at the base support). The brackets andengagable support elements or mechanisms allow for detachable attachmentof the shell portion to facilitate changeover of dies or shells withoutreplacing the entire support structure.

Optionally, the upper die assembly support structure 04, in addition tobeing constructed from multiple materials, may be constructed withshaped patterns that increase the torsional and bending properties ofthe die forming shell 03, and reduce the number of support elements.These support shapes are shown in FIG. 14 as item 22 and may be combinedwith lower die support mechanism design shapes, such as a straight lowersupport system 23, a complementary shape to the upper half, such asshown at 24 in FIG. 18, to be mated to item 22. Optionally, and as shownin FIGS. 19-24, the support mechanism 04 may also or otherwise beinterweaved in short segments 25 and 26 so as to provide resistance toinductive heating.

In addition, the die forming shell surface 03 may be coated with amaterial to increase the electrical resistance of the tool surface toreduce electrical shorting between the upper die forming surface and thelower die forming shell surface thru the material that is being formed.In the case where electrical shorting is not a problem, a coatingmaterial may be added to the die forming shell surface to increase thewearability or durability of the tool or mold surface. In the case whereboth long tool life and electrical shorting may be a concern, amulti-material coating solution may be desired or required.

The method for cooling the die forming shell of the present invention islargely dependent on the selected material and the desired coolingprofile. For example, for some materials it may not only be desirable tocool the material being molded or formed as quickly as possible for costconsiderations, but it may also be necessary that the component achievethe desired material characteristics, as in the case of quench hardeningof steels. In some cases, it may be desirable to cool the material undera controlled rate where the grain structure of the material would havetime to form under the preferred thermal conditions. In this case, aslower cooling system may be desired or required. And in some cases, itmay be desirable to cool the material from a forming or moldingtemperature, cool it a small amount, hold for a length of time and thenreheat and then quench, such as in the case of creating a beinite grainstructure in some steel materials. In such a case, the quenching mayfirst comprise a dual fluid quenching, where one fluid is a liquid andone is a gas, that is mixed and deposited on the die forming shell undersurface, and while holding at a set temperature, one of the fluids, inthis case a gas, may be turned on while simultaneously applyinginductive heating to the component being processed. Then the gas may beturned off and the part temperature may then be regulated, and the partmay be reformed or remolded and then quickly cooled by the liquid. Thus,in this example, all three types of quenching may be used in oneprocess. In all of these cases, it would be desirable to cool thematerial being formed or molded as quickly as possible for manufacturingcost concerns.

A single fluid example of how the cooling could take place is asfollows. The upper die assembly 100 comprises a die forming shell, whichunder most processes needs to be cooled, so that the part 34 (FIG. 27)that is formed or molded can be conductively cooled. This cooling can becontrolled or uncontrolled, but is preferably controlled, to provideconsistent product quality and/or to enhance a materials characteristicssuch as the material's grain structure and how that grain structure isobtained. The rate or speed of cooling the product that has been formedor molded determines the method that is used. Two basic cooling methodsare outlined and in both cooling methods they can either be coupled withthe inductive heating coil (see item 28 of FIG. 25) or not (see item 130of FIG. 36).

FIG. 25 shows an inductive heating coil 28 that also has a supply ofcooling water 27 for removing heat generated by the inductive heatingprocess, bonded to a tube 30 that is used to carry a cooling fluidmedium 29 that is delivered through a hole or aperture or passageway inthe tube 30. When the fluid 29 is discharged from the tube, the fluidmay be sprayed in a single pattern, such as shown at 31 in FIG. 25, ormay be discharged in multiple patterns such as shown at 51 in FIG. 32.These discharge holes, such as shown at item 31 and 52, can also beadded along the length of the tube(s) in a similar fashion to be locatedin-between each support mechanism pattern that is as shown at 07 in FIG.3. This would enable the depositing of the cooling fluid directly on thesurface of the die forming shell 03 for maximum cooling capabilities.

When the fluid is discharged as shown at 32 (FIGS. 26 and 27), it isused to cool the die forming shell 03. This cooling of the die formingshell 03 then conductively cools the formed or molded blank 34. Thefluid that is discharged from a single tube as shown in FIGS. 25-27 and36-38 may be a mixture of liquid and gas, but most likely is either aliquid or a gas. The rate at which the fluid is discharged determineshow quickly the die forming shell is cooled. Using one fluid tube doeslimit the cooling rates into two categories. For a liquid, the coolingrates from the forming or molding temperature to the approximanttemperature of the liquid are generally measured in seconds and aretypically in the 3 to 20 second range. For a gas, the cooling rates fromthe forming or molding temperature to the gas temperature are generallymeasured in minutes are typically in the 3 to 20 minute range.

When using a liquid, it can be difficult or challenging to control theend temperature, unless it is approximately the temperature of theliquid fluid being used to cool the die forming shell. In addition, itcan be difficult or challenging to remove excess liquid from pockets ordepressions in the die forming shell in the upper die surface if thetooling is constructed and run in a horizontal fashion. In the cases ofusing either a liquid or a gas as the cooling fluid to be deposited onthe die forming shell to regulate or cool the part being formed ormolded, they both have difficulty processing cooling of the die formingshell between 20 seconds and 3 minutes.

A dual fluid example of how the cooling could take place is as follows.The dual fluid system shown in FIGS. 28-30 with an inductive heatingcoil and the dual fluid system shown in FIGS. 39-41 incorporate a mixingof gas and liquid to achieve a higher rate, no residual liquid andeasily controllable process. As shown in FIGS. 28-30, an inductiveheating coil 07 that has a supply of cooling water 35 for removing heatgenerated by the inductive heating process, is bonded to a tube 37 forcarrying a fluid 38 and a tube 41 for carrying a fluid 42. These fluidsare discharged through passageways and/or holes of the tubes and createa discharge of their respective fluids 39 and 43 that are mixed togetherat 40. As continued in explanation and shown in FIGS. 29 and 30, thisfluid mixture then comes in contact with the die forming shell 03 andcools the die forming shell, and then the part 46 is then conductivelycooled. The fluids 38 and 42 used in this example could both be gases orboth liquids. A preferred embodiment of this configuration is one thathas one of the fluids being a liquid and another one of the fluids beinga gas. The pressure used for the gas at the discharge hole is set at anysuitable pressure, and is desirably over 50 psi and preferably between50 and 250 psi. The gas becomes supersonic when discharged at thesepressures and when a liquid is mixed with the gas, the liquid isabsorbed or instantly absorbed in the mixing zone 40 and deposited onthe die forming shell 03. In addition, supersonic air becomes supercooled. The substantially similar preferred embodiments of FIGS. 25-30are also shown in FIGS. 36-41, with a difference being that theinductive heating is not used in the process shown in FIGS. 36-41 andtherefore such an inductive heating device or coil is not shown in FIGS.36-41.

In addition to the coil configurations discussed above, multi-cavitytubes could be extruded and thus reduce the manufacturing costs forproducing multi-cavity tubing. As shown in FIG. 31, a double cavity tubemay have a dual cavity extrusion 41, a lower cavity or passageway for asupply of cooling water 48 for removing heat generated by the inductiveheating process and an upper cavity or passageway for supplying a fluid49 and discharge hole for discharging the fluid 50 and a fluid dischargestream 51. In FIG. 32, the same tubing configuration is shown, but withmultiple holes to discharge the cooling fluid 49 in a wider pattern. InFIG. 33, it is shown that the extrusion has three cavities, including alower cavity or passageway for a supply of cooling water 48 for removingheat generated by the inductive heating process, and two upper cavitiesor passageways for two different cooling fluids 54 and 55. In FIG. 35, aclose-up of those two fluids 56 and 57 is shown as being discharged at amixing zone 58.

FIG. 42 is a cross sectional view of a multi tube arrangement where aninductive heating coil and fluid carrying tube that have been bondedtogether with holes for discharging cooling fluid 28 is shown in a lowermold insert assembly 02. This general configuration is shown in FIG. 43,where 28 has been replaced with an inductive heating coil and dual fluidcarrying tubes with discharge holes positioned to mix the two fluids 36.FIG. 44 is generally the same as FIG. 42, except that item 28 has beenreplaced with a tube for carrying cooling fluid with holes fordischarging fluid 130 for cooling the die forming shell 103. FIG. 45 isgenerally the same as FIG. 43, except item 36 has been replaced with adual tube configuration for carrying two cooling fluids with holes fordischarging fluid for cooling 137 the die forming shell 103.

FIG. 46 shows a die forming shell support structure 61 where the supportstructure is parallel to the coils 60. FIG. 46 also shows a die shoe 59that has gas cooling ports 62 for circulating a gas between the platesto cool the die forming shell and a key 63 for locating said plates.FIGS. 47-50 show the support mechanisms 61 and support spacers 64 thatare used to equally space the support mechanisms.

Therefore, the present invention provides a component forming tool orforming system for forming a component from a blank, which may bepreheated prior to being placed in the die cavity, whereby the tool orsystem includes a die forming shell for forming the component from theblank, with the die forming shell comprising a first shell portion and asecond shell portion. The first shell portion is disposed at a first setof support elements and the second shell portion is disposed at a secondset of support elements. A first fluid line has a plurality of firstfluid discharge ports at or near the first shell portion, and a secondfluid line has a plurality of second fluid discharge ports at or nearrespective ones of the first fluid discharge ports that are located inbetween the support elements. The tool or system provides pressurizedfluid (such as, for example, a gas or the like) in the first fluid linethat is discharged from the first fluid discharge ports, and providespressurized fluid (such as, for example, a liquid or the like) in thesecond fluid line that is discharged from the second fluid dischargeports. The fluid discharged from the second fluid discharge ports of thesecond fluid line mixes with the fluid discharged from the first fluiddischarge ports of the first fluid line to cool the first shell portion.The gas or fluid may be supersonic when discharged.

Optionally, the tool or system includes at least one induction heatingcoil for induction heating of a workpiece disposed within the cavityformed by the first and second shell portions when the first and secondshell portions are at least partially engaged together. The first set ofsupport elements may be configured to detachably engage with respectivefirst support elements of the tool so that the first shell portion isdetachably attached at the tool. The first set of support elements maybe keyed to engage the first support elements of the tool to limitlateral movement of the first shell portion at the first supportelements.

Optionally, the first set of support elements may comprise at least twolayers of different materials that are at least one of (i) laserdeposited at the first shell portion, (ii) spray welded at the firstshell portion, (iii) welded at the first shell portion and (iv) brazedat the first shell portion. The first set of support layers may comprisedifferent materials so that the at least two layers may have at leastone of (i) different magnetic properties, (ii) different curietemperatures, (iii) different strengths and (iv) different resistanceheating properties. The second set of support elements may comprise atleast two layers of different materials that are laser deposited orspray welded at the second shell portion. The individual layers of theat least two layers may have at least one of (i) different magneticproperties, (ii) different curie temperatures, (iii) different strengthsand (iv) different resistance heating properties.

Changes and modifications to the embodiments specifically describedherein may be carried out without departing from the principles of thepresent invention, which is intended to be limited only by the scope ofthe appended claims as interpreted according to the principles of patentlaw including the doctrine of equivalents.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:
 1. A component forming toolfor forming a component from a blank, said component forming toolcomprising: a die forming shell for forming the component from theblank, said die forming shell comprising a first shell portion and asecond shell portion; wherein said first shell portion is disposed at afirst set of support elements; wherein said second shell portion isdisposed at a second set of support elements; a first fluid line havinga plurality of first fluid discharge ports at or near said first shellportion, wherein said component forming tool provides pressurized fluidin said first fluid line and wherein pressurized fluid is dischargedfrom said first fluid discharge ports; a second fluid line having aplurality of second fluid discharge ports at or near respective ones ofsaid first fluid discharge ports that are located in between saidsupport elements, wherein said component forming tool providespressurized fluid in said second fluid line and wherein pressurizedfluid is discharged from said first fluid discharge ports; and whereinthe pressurized fluid discharged from said second fluid discharge portsof said second fluid line mixes with the pressurized fluid dischargedfrom said first fluid discharge ports of said first fluid line to coolthe first shell portion.
 2. The component forming tool of claim 1,wherein the fluid that is discharge from said first fluid dischargeports comprises a gas.
 3. The component forming tool of claim 2, whereinthe gas becomes supersonic when it is discharged from said first fluiddischarge port.
 4. The component forming tool of claim 1, wherein thefluid that is discharged from said second fluid discharge portscomprises a liquid.
 5. The component forming tool of claim 1, whereinsaid first and second fluid lines are part of a dual fluid line that isconfigured to mix two fluids and discharge them onto said die formingshell.
 6. The component forming tool of claim 5, wherein the fluid ofsaid first fluid line comprises a gas and the fluid of said second fluidline comprises a liquid.
 7. The component forming tool of claim 6,wherein the gas becomes supersonic when discharged from said first fluiddischarge port.
 8. The component of forming tool of claim 1, wherein theblank is preheated prior to being placed in said die forming shell. 9.The component forming tool of claim 1, wherein said first set of supportelements is configured to detachably engage with respective base supportelements of said component forming tool so that said first shell portionis detachably attached at said component forming tool.
 10. The componentforming tool of claim 9, wherein said first support elements areconfigured in short patterned shapes to add rigidity to said die formingshell.
 11. The component forming tool of claim 10, wherein said firstset of support elements is keyed to engage said base support elements tolimit lateral movement of said first shell portion at said base supportelements.
 12. The component forming tool of claim 9, wherein said firstset of support elements comprises at least two layers of differentmaterials that are at least one of (i) welded at said first shellportion and (ii) brazed at said first shell portion.
 13. The componentforming tool of claim 12, wherein said at least two layers of differentmaterials are formed by at least one of (i) an additive manufacturingtechnique, (ii) laser disposition, (iii) spray welding, (iv) assemblingdifferent materials from separately manufactured strips of material. 14.The component forming tool of claim 9, wherein said first set of supportelements comprises at least two layers of different materials thatinclude at least one of (i) resistance heating materials in said supportelements and (ii) resistance heating elements, in order to provideconductive heating to the die forming shell that then conductively heatsthe blank to be formed.
 15. The component forming tool of claim 9,wherein a forming surface of said die forming shell is coated with acoating to increase its electrical resistivity, and wherein said coatingcomprises at least one of (i) a diamond like coating, (ii) acarbon/carbon coating, and (iii) a non-electrically conductive coating.16. The component forming tool of claim 9, wherein a forming surface ofsaid die forming shell is coated with a coating to increase its abrasionresistance of the die forming surface, and wherein said coatingcomprises at least one of (i) a ceramic coating, (ii) a multiple coatingcombination and (iii) a carbon/carbon and chromium coating.
 17. Thecomponent forming tool of claim 1, comprising at least one inductionheating coil for at least one of (i) at least partially heating aworkpiece disposed within a partially open or fully closed cavity formedby said first and second shell portions and (ii) at least partiallyheating said die forming shell for conductively heating a workpiecedisposed between said first and second shell portions when said firstand second shell portions are partially open or engaged together.